Clay Hammond Page

Clay Hammond

Clay Hammond

Hammond is a highly respected soul singer most famous for writing and recording the blues standard "Part Time Love" (Little Johnny Taylor #1 R&B/#19 Pop). Hammond recorded for various labels in the 1960s. His most well-known efforts from that time are the four singles he did for Kent between 1966-69. These mixed Southern soul, gospel, and blues. He cut a fabulous modern soul blues disc on Evejim in 1988; followed by another for White Enterprises before a comeback of sorts on Evejim in 2003. In 2010 he cut a now obscure Gospel LP, "In The Hands Of God". Hammond died in 2001 at the age of 74.

Album Discography

"Come Into These Arms Of Love" (P-Vine 1981)

1. Come Into These Arms Of Love
2. Tuning Up
3. Part Time Love
4. Rap On Wood
5. Women Are Human
6. Disco Baby
7. Love Won't Let Me Stay Away From You
8. Love Made The Whole World Multiply
9. Don't Stop Your Love

"Streets Will Love You" (Evejim 1988)

1 Streets Will Love You
2 License To Steal
3 Too Many Irons In The Fire
4 I Know What Love Is
5 They Don't Makeum No More
6 Ask Me For What You Want
7 Part Time Love
8 Monkey

****1/2 Fabulous modern soul LP released on Leon Haywood's Evejim label features the great "The Streets Will Love You To Death", the best Memphis soul song Willie Mitchell never wrote; plus Hammond's own "License To Steal" and his masterpiece "Part Time Love". "I Know What Love Is" was another great single lifted from the album that deserved to be a hit.

"Hard To Explain" (White Ent. 1993)

1. Hard To Explain
2. Stop Cheating On You
3. I'm In Love With You
4. A Women Glory
5. License To Steal
6. You're Full Of Magic
7. Kicking My Love
8. Tuning Up

*** Hard-to-find CD is a delight for urban soul and soul blues lovers. An infectious mix of uptempo soul ("Stop Cheating On You", "A Woman's Glory", "Kicking My Love") and soulful crooning ("Hard To Explain", "You're Full Of Magic", "License To Steal") by an underrated great. Geraldine White wrote 5 of the 8 tracks.

Clay Hammond & ZZ Hill "Southern Soul Brothers" (Kent 2000)

1. I'll Make It up to You - Clay Hammond
2. Take Your Time - Clay Hammond
3. You Messed up Your Mind - Clay Hammond
4. I'm Gonna Be Sweeter - Clay Hammond
5. Good Side of My Girl, The - Clay Hammond
6. My Jealous Girl - Clay Hammond
7. You Brought It All on Yourself - Clay Hammond
8. Do Right Woman - Clay Hammond
9. Togetherness - Clay Hammond (previously unreleased)
10. I'm So Glad You're Mine - Clay Hammond (previously unreleased)
11. My Sweet Baby Is Coming Home - Clay Hammond
12. Suzy Do It Better Than You - Clay Hammond
13. Love Made the Whole World Multiply - Clay Hammond
14. Something Better - Clay Hammond
15. You Threw Out Your Lifeline - Clay Hammond (previously unreleased)
16. Got a Letter This Morning - Clay Hammond
17. You've Got Me Chained to Your Love - Z.Z. Hill (previously unreleased)
18. Please Take Me Back - Z.Z. Hill (previously unreleased)
19. I'm Gonna Love You - Z.Z. Hill (previously unreleased)
20. My Girl Has Gone Away - Z.Z. Hill (previously unreleased)
21. Don't Make Promises (You Can't Keep) - Z.Z. Hill
22. Where She At - Z.Z. Hill
23. Gimme Gimme - Z.Z. Hill
24. Greatest Loce, The - Z.Z. Hill
25. What Am I Living For? - Z.Z. Hill
26. Everybody Needs Somebody - Z.Z. Hill

**** Generous compilation shared between Clay Hammond and Z.Z. Hill. Hammond has 16 of the 26 tracks on this disc that includes both sides of all four of his 1966-69 Kent singles, as well as four from the same period that did not surface until a 1988 LP, and four more from the same time that were previously unissued until this CD.

"I Kissed Her Gone" (Evejim 2003)

1. I Kissed Her Gone
2. Leon Stole My Freak
3. I Like the Way You Dance
4. Break Me Off
5. Wife Woman and Hoochie
6. New Line Dance
7. New Line Dance (Remix)
8. Viagra
9. I Don't Believe You
10.Whip That Lovin'
11.Bad Boy
12.I Can't Live Without You

*** A full ten years since his last album and we see Hammond's feathery, aching voice has aged well as evidenced on this contemporary soul disc. The opener, "I Kissed Her Gone", is a lovely, melancholy slowie. From there Hammond croons through a mix of original ballads and up-tempo tunes like the slinky, bluesy feel on "Wife Woman And Hoochie" and the stripped down, old school feel on "I Don't Believe", a wonderful ballad. "Wife, Woman & Hoochie" has a clever twist. Just when you are rolling your eyes thinking Clay needs three women to keep him satisfied he tells you all three are one woman. Songs about fidelity are an all too rare and pleasant find in the genre.

"In The Hands Of God" (2010)

1. GOD is Comin
2. He's My Hero
3. Let Jesus Fix it
4. I'm gonna Pray Right
5. Runaway Child
6. Glad I found Jesus
7. I'll Trust in The Lord
8. I've Got Heaven on My Mind
9. In The Hands of GOD